A crazy grandmother

A blood red shawl

A stuck-up step-mother

A Prince’s Ball

 

Ember

Who wore a red shawl

Who slept in the fireplace

Will always recall

 

A drizzly day in September

Her Step-mother laughed

“You come to the Ball?

As if I’d indulge you in that.”

 

Ember was crying

She’d never left the farm

She ran to her crazy, old Grandma

Collapsed and cried on her arm

 

“Now dear child,”

Her grandmother cooed,

“Here is a dress

And a new pair of shoes.”

 

Ember looked up

And alas, so it was

“But dear grandma,

Why ever because?”

 

“I knew today would come,

And that’s all you need to know.

Now take off that shawl,

It’s time for you to go.”

 

Ember removed her beloved red shawl,

Her old, dingy shoes

She slipped on the ruby silk

Fresh and new from lack of use
 

She took her father’s stallion

Whitefire was his name

She rode to the Ball

They trumpeted when she came

 

She came down the stairs

To the sound of her name

“Ember of Ridersville”

And a man introduced himself as “Lent Wayne”

 

Lent Wayne was a marvelous dancer

Odd, for he was really a hunter

And he charmed Ember a while

Of his ideas she began to wonder

 

Then the song ended

A tap on Lent’s shoulder

The prince wanted a dance

He was as big as a boulder

 

And thus a new dance came up

The prince spun Ember around

Alas, she could not help but look

For Lent could not be found

 

“Come, let’s walk a bit.”

The prince dragged her along

“My name is Prince Libertine.

Forgive me for earlier introducing myself wrong.”

 

And then he spun her around

Poor Ember so scared of what to come

He soon was upon her

She could not fight, but would not succumb

 

And after a bit of a struggle

A grunt sounded loud

Someone pulled her up

Out of the hallway and into the crowd

 

The stares were many

But he payed no heed

Lent got her out fast

Helped her get free

 

“Are you okay?”

His hands rubbed hers

“You’re so cold, my lady.”

And he wrapped her in furs.

 

She looked in his eyes

She saw something new

Concern for her? Impossible

She realized she’d lost a shoe

 

“My shoe”

She squeaked, looking away.

“Let the pig have it.”

Lent said in dismay

 

He took her by her chin

Held it up to the light

“You’re one heck of a fighter,

You’ll be alright.”

 

And they lived

Maybe not happily ever after

But together they lived 

Hereafter

 

The End